What if the only thing standing between you and being seen, heard and recognised is your clarity?

In this episode of Mad Influence, Helen Saul is joined by Rebecca Okamoto, a communication and clarity expert whose TEDx talk on how to introduce yourself has been watched around 2 million times. Rebecca works with what she calls “Lost Einsteins” - people whose thinking is valuable and original, but whose ideas fail to land because they struggle to explain their value in senior or executive settings.

Rebecca’s work is rooted in experience. Earlier in her corporate career at Procter & Gamble, she had the opportunity to pitch a game-changing leadership programme to a senior vice president. After delivering what she believed was a compelling presentation, the response was blunt: “God, I love your enthusiasm. I have no idea what you said.”

The programme went on to succeed, but the moment changed everything. Rebecca began studying attention, message flow and the science behind how people process information, developing what she now calls the 20-word approach - a way of introducing yourself or pitching an idea clearly in seconds, not minutes.

This conversation explores why intelligence alone is not enough, how clarity can transform how you are perceived at work, and why the most overlooked talent is often just misunderstood. Helen and Rebecca discuss attention spans, imposter syndrome, audience awareness, the psychology of persuasion and the power of a well-timed pivot point. They also reflect on what it feels like to finally be heard - and how learning to be clear can shift careers, confidence and opportunity.

Music written by Joseph McDade

Follow Rebecca

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaokamoto/

Website: www.20words.com/

Follow Helen Saul

LinkedIn:⁠ www.linkedin.com/in/helensaul/⁠

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